North Park Fun and Funk Home / Gallery Wall
Jenny Siegwart
There’s hardly anything Derek and Jay disagree on. Even when they wed, there was no tiff over any name changes. Instead, they both combined their last names (Hanley and Satpute) to become the Satleys.
North Park Fun and Funk Home / Derek and Jay
Jenny Siegwart
Together, they love entertaining, bright colors, and animals—their dog, Tux, of course, but also the decorative kind. They’ve got brass swans, tiger-print rugs, and art prints of rams. But combining their names was a lot easier than marrying their luxe, eclectic tastes with the bones of their 1932 home. So they brought in a professional—Derek’s best friend, Daniel Merk-Benitez, lead designer at Kathy Ann Abell Interiors.
“Most people aren’t willing to be as out of the box as they were,” Merk-Benitez says. Thankfully, he was there for it—from escrow to finish—and also to ensure his friends didn’t overdo it.
To begin, they needed a clean slate: Reflooring the inside, then giving every wall a crisp white coat. Next, they worked in harmony with the Spanish design by incorporating new pieces that spoke to the style—note the woodcarvings on their liquor cabinet and desk. Finally, it’s on those clean new walls that Merk-Benitez let the couple’s personality shine.
North Park Fun and Funk Home / Exterior
Jenny Siegwart
There’s over 60 pieces of art in the home, all bright as the Satleys themselves, sourced in every way from thrifting to online shopping and even passed down from Derek’s mom, who owned an antique store back home in New Mexico.
Living RoomThis is not your typical living room—and the Satleys like it that way. There’s no TV and no sectional that begs for napping (that’s in a media room down the hall). Instead, the room sets a playful tone for the rest of the house. Consider the gallery wall above the Alder & Tweed Furniture chairs. “This wall has the most personal art in the house,” Derek says. “It’s a collection of personal photography, art created by friends and family, and pieces from midcentury-modern stores around San Diego.”
Jenny Siegwart
LoungeThe couple has dubbed this space off the kitchen their cocktail lounge. It’s centered by a tiger-print rug from Tandy Leather, plus chairs and a liquor cabinet from Noir Furniture.
Jenny Siegwart
“My mom also used to be a real estate agent, and I grew up on HGTV,” Derek says—so he assumed his and Jay’s first house hunt would be relatively easy. Sure, they had some non-negotiables: a minimum of 1,000 square feet, two bedrooms, and two baths, near downtown. But they didn’t expect that after two years and about 200 viewings, it’d be so difficult to get the keys to something in their budget. Anything.
“We were like, Oh, for our budget, we can get something that’s falling apart 12 miles away,” Derek says.
Dining RoomThe dining room was about the only head scratcher of the home. At the time of purchase, it was 30 feet long and led straight to the master bedroom door. Translation: awkward. It was Merk-Benitez’s idea to move the wall shared with the bedroom closer and create a hallway, complete with a Spanish-style archway, to bridge the space. Today, the dining room’s only 18 feet long and fits a 10-person table from Moe’s Home Collection perfectly, plus a beautiful Arteriors light fixture.
Jenny Siegwart
DeskDerek’s home office—defined by a Surya rug, Noir Furniture desk, and acrylic chair from Design Within Reach—anchors the other end of the lengthy dining room. Through those arched windows, he can keep an eye on their dog, Tux, when he’s let out in the front yard.
Jenny Siegwart
Then, they took a chance on Lindsay Shuman of Big Block Realty. In one day, she lined up six viewings, the first being the abode you’re looking at here. Yes, it was double the size of their initial request, but if they could rent out the room below their master, which has private access from the back patio, they could swing the purchase—and they knew the entertaining possibilities would be worth it.
PatioYou wouldn’t know from the front of the house, but it has serious depth, thanks to this tiered back patio. It makes for an outdoor entertaining area and a space to share with guests who stay in their rental unit, which has private access from here.
Jenny Siegwart
The Pineapple LampMarking the entrance to the master bedroom is this funky light fixture—a pineapple lamp with a shag-like shade that Derek received as a housewarming gift in Albuquerque, before he met Jay. Now, it’s a shining example of the Satleys’ personality.
The layout is made for hosting, thanks to the easy flow from the living room to the lounge off the kitchen and lengthy dining room. New Year’s parties, dinners, and even spontaneous happy hours—they’ve hosted them all since moving in last May.
“We love having friends and family over. Even if it’s impromptu, we can pull together a party in five minutes’ notice,” Jay says, and following a sly glance from Derek, nods toward the liquor cabinet. “So, drinks?”
Master BedroomThe couple was quick to fall in love with the home during their first tour. “But when we saw this window in the master, we were like, ‘We need to make this work,’” Derek says. The nearly floor-to-ceiling glass looks out onto a valley over the 805 and lets in a ton of natural light. The bed is from Corrigan Studio, dresser from Noir Furniture, and accent chairs from Rowe Furniture.
Jenny Siegwart
